In this episode, Daniel proves that knowledge is power. Buying a roof is comparable to buying a new car and getting the customizations you want. Our roof replacement process is the most informative in the market.

Podcast Transcription: RoofLifeB027-194

Shayla: Welcome to the Roof Life of Oregon podcast. I’m talking with Daniel today. Daniel, why is important for a roofing contractor to ask questions of the homeowner before an install?

Daniel: That’s a great question. Why ask questions? That’s a big deal. Let me do a short analogy. If you went to go buy a brand new car and you said, I want a widget, I want this specific car, would you just go into the dealer and say, “I want that car,” and they sign the paperwork and you drive out with it? Or would you want to get in it, feel it, drive it, what are the features, how long does it last, what’s the warranty? What are all the parts and pieces to this car? You roof is the same thing.

Did you know you had choices? You have choices in the material. You have choices in the underlayment, in the pipe flashings. You have choices in the color, in the way things are going to work. And when the contractor comes in, and you say, “I want to put a new roof on,” and they write up an estimate and they leave it for you, do you know what you’re getting? Or did the roofer sit down and have a conversation with you?

So some of the questions that we ask: How long are you going to be in the house? Do you want to put on a roof that’s going to go thirty years, forty years, fifty years? Are you going to sell the house in five, ten years? What are your plans with the house? That’ll help dictate what kind of material you want to put on, the parts and pieces to the house. What is your tree coverage over your house? How long is this thing going to last? What’s the sun exposure? What are the different parts and pieces that I want to use on this house?

Here’s another question: what color? Color is actually a big deal. You see these builders that go out and they do these track houses. Track house, track house, track house and they’re all black. Every one of these roofs are black. Black looks really good on a house for about the first five years. And these are things that we talk to homeowners about. Well, what do you mean it only looks good for about five years? Black fades like crazy. We see the roofs five, ten, fifteen years later with our maintenance department. We see what these roofs look like. The shortest life roof out there is a black roof. Thing about it- it’s the sun. It absorbs all the heat. It fades. So it’s absorbing all the heat, shortening the life of it, running up your AC bills in the summertime.

So even colors make a difference on a roof. Guess which roof grows moss the fastest? Black, because in the springtime it’s raining, it’s sunny, it’s black, it’s warm. The moss loves that. So black roofs grow moss faster. So we can help guide you when it comes to colors. White roofs are fantastic because they last the longest. They’re reflective. They’re going to last. They’re going to do what you want them to do. Here’s the downside to a white roof. They show dirt like crazy, a little bit of algae, anything that’s up there, you’re going to see it from a mile away. So yes, they last the longest, but, is it going to bug the snot out of you when you get home and you see the black ring around here and the black ring around here, because you see it. We can help guide you in these questions.
When you decide these colors, put the boards against the house, step back, look at them from a distance. Take some time. These contractors that say, “Yep, here’s your price. Here’s how cheap it is. Let’s go ahead and get it done.” Well, when can get started? “Next week.” So you’ve got a week to figure out what color you’re going to put on your house that you’re going to live in for the next how many years? I don’t know about you, but my wife wouldn’t go for that. My wife would be like, hang on second. I want to take a look at these and see what color I want, because we may choose to change the color of our house, and if I go this color, I have to stick with this, this is all I can ever do. Take some time, ask questions, and see how long the homeowner is going to be in the house.

There are so many different questions. If a contractor’s coming in, they write up the information for you, leave it, and it’s just low price, are you getting what you really want? Questions are a really big deal.

Shayla: Alright, so when you go to bid out your new roof, make sure the contractor is asking you questions, getting to know you, your family, and what you’re looking for in the next years to come. If you have questions about anything Daniel talked about today, reach out to the team at Roof Life of Oregon.